jeeptruck636

Thanks a lot everyone. Seems like the machined finish was the way to go.

Thanks a lot. I have seen some with nothing done to the front axle, but they have no suspension travel. Where mine is currently sitting I could get away with nothing done, but I like having a suspension. Where it sits now I have around 3" of up travel, and the only thing it will hit is the bumpstops. That leaves me plenty of room to go lower and still have enough travel. The red turbo LSX Comanche (I think he was from Maryland) is lowered to the bumpstops and he said it has a terrible ride. He has a really cool truck though, 500-600hp and runs 10's.

I've been thinking of trying that plasti-dip stuff. Not as a permanent solution, but just to see what they would look like. Then I can peel it off and either leave them machined, or get them powdered. Also I could try what Coheed said that might be pretty cool.

Wheel Time... Finding the right set of wheels for this build is the hardest part of the whole build. Everything else is just cutting and welding. But the wheels is what everyone will see. I had a few criteria when it came to the wheels. One, they had to be 17", because I need a 16" or larger to clear the brakes and it is getting hard to find tires in a 16" wheel anymore. Two, they had to be alloy, because most 17" steel wheels weigh around 40 lbs. a piece, whereas alloys are around 25 lbs. Three, the backspacing / offset had to be correct. Four, they had to be staggered (wider in rear than front). Five, they need to be affordable. Lastly, I would like for them to have a deep dish. After a long time of deciding I purchased a set of Deep Dish 03-04 Cobra wheels, in a machined finish. I am still not sure if I made the right decision on the wheels. They are a little flashy for me. Some people love them, other people hate them. I'm on the fence. I have been thinking of getting them powdered black. ​ These are the rears, they are 17x10.5. The fronts are 17X9. Test fitting / checking clearance. Got the rear tires mounted. 285/40/17 Mounted them up. I had to pull the axle shafts out and cut around .010 off the hub to fit the Ford wheels. (I'm pretty sure it was somewhere around .010-.015 off. I can't remember). *Yes I know the 4.0 badge in in the wrong place. That was the previous owner. Give me opinions on the wheels. Like I said, I'm on the fence. Should I try black?

Here you go. Not a lot of info on it. This is pretty cool considering R&R made bmx bikes and frames in the 70's. *Image is from the Canberra Bicycle Museum

Thanks! Good luck with yours! Time to clearance the axle to go lower.. I have done some searching and found a few people who have done this. Mostly Pseudosport's XJ-R, Worlds Fastest Comanche's LSR-3, and Darren's George. I took some ideas from all of these, and made a few changes to suit my needs. I started with a piece of DOM tubing that is 2.5" diameter and .25" wall thickness. Which is the same as the factory axle, and cut 45 degree angles on both ends. Also I started to make the gussets for it. Here is the idea that we came up with. The next step is to make a quick frame to keep the upper control arm mounts the correct distance apart and at the right angle. Then cut them off. Made some root passes. Welded on the gussets and made some final passes.

I decided to lower the front just buy cutting the factory 2wd springs. Just to drive it around for a little while like that. I lowered the front 2"-2.5" and realized I hit the no turning back point. Things were just getting too close for comfort. Either I raise it back up a little to drive it comfortably, and leave it like that. Or I start modifying the axle to allow me to go lower. So off to the junkyard I go to find another front axle. With the help of some friends we pulled a very clean 2wd axle out of a 96 XJ, and headed home.

Thanks. Go for it, that would be awesome. Yes sir.

All I can say is WOW! After 2 days the video has over 40,000 views and people seem to like it. Mr. Regular and I were talking about how the video could start a comment war, and be disliked, because it's a lowered Jeep. I have been a Jeep guy ever since I was born, and if it was a Jeep, it had to be lifted. I loved lifted trucks and Jeeps, My first car was a 1974 K10 with 10 inches of lift and 38's. Because of this I know the Jeep/off road crowd can be very tough with lowered cars, let alone a Jeep. Mr. Regular and I have been talking for a little while about doing a review, and being an introvert who doesn't like a lot of attention, I really thought about not doing it. I still don't know what made me change my mind. But now I'm glad I did. Sure there's some negative comments and probably a lot more to come, but the thing that surprised me is how random people would stand up for the Comanche, and back it up. I was definitely not expecting that. Also people would talk about Comanche stories from the past, and how they wanted to buy one, and even one comment was about how they didn't even know a Comanche existed until they saw the video. I think that is awesome. Comanches and older Cherokees are slowly fading away (the local junk yards are even becoming scarce), and I would hope that buy doing the article it sparks some interest in some people to go out and get one, and enjoy one and preserve it before there gone. Sure mine isn't the "normal" thing to do, but that's what makes Jeeps and cars so great, you can make them your own, and if someone wanted to build something but wasn't sure if someone else would like it, go for it because you will never know if you don't try. I invite everyone to check out the video and leave a comment and a like, or dislike, it's up to you. Thanks to Comanche Club for a lot of ideas for the build and the knowledgeable people on here. Here is my first car, and first Jeep. Also my 89 Dakota is hiding behind the Chevy. Yeah I had a car buying problem when I turned 16...

Yes that's me. It turned out pretty good, I think. Although there were some mistakes. The number one is that the Coors Racetruck Challenge only allowed for 4 cylinders. I'm sure Mr. Regular didn't know. Also in the video I said my tie rod was off a WJ. It's not. It's off a v8 ZJ. The same one I got the springs off of.

Yes that is me. A rear sway bar is already sitting in my garage. It will be installed with the new axle. Hopefully over the winter. That's all to come. I figured I should make it stop fast before it goes fast. Once the suspension is done and the rear has disc brakes. I'll start on the motor. I just can't decide on a stroker or turbo. Thanks a lot. I'm glad so many people liked it.

At some point I used 2" blocks to lower the rear. The next step was to find some tires for the rear. I wasn't sure what would really fit, so I decided to get some used tires to hold me over until I get the new rear axle sorted out. They are Kumho's and they're not the greatest but they'll work for a little while. The next tires will be something better and probably wider, like a 305. The rear tires now are 285/40/17. I decided to go with 17's because it's a lot easier to find tires in that rim diameter. And I will need a bigger wheel to clear the new brakes. Checking clearance. *I used the lug nut leveling technique to give me a hand. While I was at it, I decided to move the washer bottle to the inside of the fender to give room for the larger brake booster and master cylinder. As well as the Wilwood adjustable proportioning valve.

I just measured it and it is 2" from neutral to any gear. Which is the diameter of the shift knob. I never measured the before because I took it off to replace the seals. Then after it was off I decided to make it a short throw. If anyone knows the stock throw that would be great.

The shifter always felt sloppy, so I looked around for a short throw replacement. I couldn't find too much except for a B&M which was more then I wanted to spend. Knowing that to make a shifters throw shorter you need to change the pivot point, I figured I could make my own. The lower seal was completely disintegrated, that's why it always felt sloppy. That is what the shifter pivots on. Taking the handle off was a pain, the best way I found was to hammer in small shims to push back the locking tabs, and hammer the handle off. The next step was to cut the end of the shifter off between the two balls, and I wasn't 100% sure what kind of metal the shifter was made of, so I didn't know if it would get hard when I welded it, and crack. So I drilled and reamed a hole to accept a .250 hardened dowel pin, to give it strength. Next was to figure out how much to lengthen the arm, I decided to go with .375 because it seemed good. :dunno: So a spacer was made, then the spacer and the small end of the shifter was drilled and reamed for the dowel as well. Next was to assemble everything and weld it together. I decided to TIG it together using no filler rod. All I wanted to do is to blend the metals together and not add any different metals to the mix (I only have stainless steel filler rods). New parts. Everything was bought through Quadratec p/n's are.. 83500520 - transmission shift cover boot. 4864226x - shifter cover seal. 83500519 - shift rod bushing. 5252043 - shifter retainer gasket X2. I forgot but I made a .375 thick aluminum spacer to compensate for the lengthened arm. Tip. To get the seal in easily put in in boiling water to soften it up, and it will go right in. All assembled. Time to find a suitable shifter knob... That seems good. (Yes I blurred it for the kids) Everthing installed and the shifter works great. People are always impressed with how it feels, it was a huge improvement over stock. This is honestly one of my favorite things I have done to the truck. (up to this point in time..more to come) If anyone is to attempt this, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't need the dowel pin. It was just a precaution. Also if I were to do it again, I would probally make the spacer .500, just to shorten it even more. Also a lathe isn't needed, I just have one at my disposal.

After buying the Comanche I drove it for a few weeks and started to source local junkyards to gather parts for the build. I came across a MJ in the junkyard that had about 50k miles on it. :eek: The body was completely rotted out, but the interior was perfect. I pulled every trim piece out of it, the cab vents and the wiper switch. I haven't had any luck finding a parking brake assembly that worked, up until this one. It is perfect, looks like it has never been used, so out it came.When I went to pay for everything the lady at the counter must have been having a really good day, less than $30 later I was on my way. Another trip to another yard and I found a nice 96 XJ to take the brake booster and master cylinder off of, and the lower dash panel and gauge bezel to go with the 96 dash I was putting in. Dash swaps are always fun to do. After the dash was in I decided to go ahead and change over to the full gauges while I was at it. I couldn't find a odometer that was near mine, so I decided to keep it. While I was changing over the sensors to the ones for gauges, the temp sender broke off flush with the cylinder head. :rant: So I pulled the guts out of it, and grabbed the easy-outs. It fought me a little but it eventually came out. When I had it in my hand I noticed it was missing something, the bottom of the sensor broke off because the easy out was a bit too long and was now somewhere down in the cylinder head. :wall: I came up with the ingenious idea to duct tape a flexable straw to my little shop vac to suck the pieces out of the head. I doubted it would work, but eventually I was able to fish out the two broken pieces. I got bored and had a roll of carbon fiber vinyl wrap laying aound, so why not. The next post will have the completed dash along with a DIY short throw shifter. A real short throw shifter not cutting it shorter.

Hi Comanche Club, I am new to the club and I thought I would share my latest project. The purpose of this build is to build the best performing street only Comanche that I can. I have owned several Jeeps throughout the years, and have never been without a Jeep ever since I could drive. Most of which were lifted, but for this one I decided to go a different direction. For a little while I was looking at buying a sporty car, something turbo. But I just couldn't find the one for me, and all my wife kept telling me is that I wouldn't look right driving one of those cars. Then one day i came across the Grassroots Motorsports Jeep XJ-R and knew right then that I would be building another Jeep. So after a little more research I saw one of the Archer Racetrucks and I immediately started the search for a good Comanche to start the build. After almost a year of searching everyday on craigslist for the "right" one, I came across this... ...A 91 Comanche 2wd, shortbed, 4.0L, ax-15, 103K miles, almost no options. It's manual windows, no carpet, no intermittent wipers, no tilt, no passenger mirror, ect... pretty much no options except it has the 4.0L with a/c. It dosen't hurt either that it's already red. So after a few hours of the ad being up I was driving it home. The only things the truck needed was the parking brake fixed or replaced, the windshield washers didn't work, and the dash was cracked (which the previous owner already purchased). I just had to put it in, which is always fun. I brought the truck home on March 25, 2014 and I have done alot to this truck already, so I'm going to try to catch up. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have. Here's a horrible teaser pick from across the yard, of whats to come.

Nevermind, I missed the key word "PARKING". The link is for the brake/clutch pedals. Not the parking brake pedal. Sorry about that.

http://www.quadratec.com/products/55003_01.htm Here is a link to the pedal pad. I have one on both the brake and clutch pedals, and they work great. I'm assuming its a manual judging by your signiture. I'm not sure of the bumper, maybe someone else will know.

What ever happened to this project? Is it still around? :dunno:

The problem with finding shocks for a lowered comanche is that nobody makes any. You will have to find ones that were meant for other vehicles. I am using KYB monomax's for a 2wd f150 on the front, and they are very stiff, and the ride is very harsh. I would not recomend them for a lowered daily driven jeep, because all of the monomax options are for much heavier trucks, and the the ride quality will suffer. (although I drive mine more than any other vehicle :)) I would suggest KYB gas-a-just shocks, because they are availiable in many more lengths and end configurations, and they are not as stiff. I did not find to many options in Bilstein 5100 series shocks that would work. http://www.kyb.com/knowledge-center/shock-tech-for-pros/dimensions/ The shocks starting with KG are the gas-a-just FYI. Just pick out which ones have the right ends and length. It can be tedious. Find a length where the shock will be in the center of its stroke at static ride height. Hope this helps

This is a stock 2wd axle. Your upper control arm mounts were moved over and lowered.

One will be coming soon. In these pictures it has 2" blocks in the rear, and I cut the factory springs roughly 2" in the front. The tires are 235/75/15. I would recommend cutting the factory springs, because if you don't like it you can get another set for next to nothing. Also if you want more spring rate, get 4wd springs, or move over to zj springs. Some people are against cutting springs, but if you use a cutoff wheel and keep it cool, everything will be fine. I agree with shelbyluvv, get a larger sway bar, and use steel lowering blocks, also the xj shackle plus a 2" block will make it sit really nice in the rear. (I wouldn't recommend a block taller than 2"). How much clearance do you have between the oil pan and the axle tube? I remember the Novak Conversions v8 swap kits recommended a 2" lift when swapping in a chevy v8 because of clearance issues. A lowered v8 Comanche sounds like a awesome street machine.

If you want to lower one more than 2", be prepared to do extensive modifications to the front axle, and suspension.

Thanks, I got the valve from Jegs for $78. I am not sure if it was offered through the Mopar Performance catalog.

I wanted to get rid of the load sensing valve, and have adjustability. So I used a Wilwood 260-11179 proportioning valve. It gives full flow to the front brakes, and has a adjustable rear output. It also has a built in pressure switch. I ended up running new NiCopp brake lines and got rid of the extra rear line. This could be a option for you. I am using a 96 brake booster/ master cylinder, and on my '91 everything bolted right in. * Picture was taken before it was finished.